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Saturday, November 7, 1998 -- Huntington
Wild DAWG Alum Run 5K

[Coverage/Recap w/Pics] [More Pics Set 1] [More Pics Set 2] [Results]

Alexandra Franklin, the day's youngest competitor at 7, starts big
What better way to get ready for a little tailgating and some big Marshall University football then with a quick 5K run? That is exactly the idea that a bunch of runners have every year at the annual Wild DAWG Alum Run 5K. This year brought with it some great football weather (which also means great running weather), temperatures in the 50's, and a sun that continued to try and break through partly cloudy skies. The 3.1-mile course was typical of a run through the streets of Huntington... flat.

The racing got started early at 8:30a.m., but it didn't take long for the runners to get moving. Pulling out to the front and running together for the first mile were Chris Parsons, Larry Taylor, Robert Smith, and Kevin Batey. With just over a mile completed in the race, Smith was setting the pace and had a small advantage on the rest of the group. However, a moment of confusion had Smith veering off course for a short distance. This slight mistake cost him the advantage he had gained and allowed the lead pack to regroup.

Chris Parsons takes a comfortable lead into the final stretch
Next, Parsons began to lead out and was able to slowly put a 20 or 30 meter gap on the rest of the front runners. At this point Taylor led the chase group with Smith and Batey settling into third and fourth, respectively. Over the final half of the race the four maintained their positions with Parsons hitting the tape first with a blistering time of 15:48. Taking second overall and finishing with another sub-16-minute time was Taylor in 15:58. Not far behind came Smith (16:03) and Batey (16:07) to claim third and fourth.

The competition for the morning's fastest female was dominated by Jessica Taylor, the 14-year-old daughter of Larry Taylor. The young lady completed the 3.1 miles in 19:25, almost two and a half minutes ahead of second place Sheri Monteer (21:50).

In the wheelchair division it was Marshall Edwards (19:45) taking the win over Chad Beam (26:19).

Chad Beam's(L) fast start couldn't hold off Marshall Edwards(R) for long
After the racing was completed everyone was invited indoors for the Hospitality Suite. Plenty of refreshments were provided and awards were handed out to everyone from the overall winners to the fastest alum from each of several past decades.

The volunteers and race organizers put on a wonderful event and everyone owes them some thanks. Now it was time for some Thundering Herd football. For those that don't get out much, we'll let you know that they beat up on Central Michigan pretty good. Final score: MU 28 - CMU 0.